Samsara: The Sage's Journey
by DiLost
Summary: Spin-off of Samsara. Yet again, the Chosen of Samsara died. Once more, They were forced to return to the world of living. Their Master, Their friend has died and yet the Curse remains. This time, the Sage was prepared, to fight once more for Their world of Peace and Order. However, Heaven seemed to have other plans. Rikudō x Female Naruto.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer : I do not own Naruto**

**Summary: Yet again, the Chosen of Samsara died. Once more, They were forced to return to the world of living. Their Master, Their friend has died and yet the Curse remains. This time, the Sage was prepared, to fight once more for Their world of Peace and Order. However, Heaven seemed to have other plans. Rikudō x Female Naruto.**

**This chapter has yet to be Beta'd.**

**Still an idea, I might revise it later.**

* * *

**Samsara: The Sage's Journey**

**Chapter 1 Curse of Samsara**

A world of darkness.

A familiar world.

"So, Naruto died," Rikudō stated without any emotion.

They were used to this. The Chosen of Samsara would die and They would return to this prison. As the new Chosen was born, They would be called once more.

"...Naruto, a Mortal God worthy of Our respect." To think that the boy who had trembled before him would be able to achieve what he could not. To achieve a world of Peace.

"Our Salvation would be proud of him..."

Naruto was one of the few Rikudō would call friend. One of the few Rikudō would entrust with Their Salvation's dream.

"And yet, the world continues, even after his death." He knew that in the end, a mortal life did not matter to the universe.

Even if the greatest hero had died, the world moved on.

Then Rikudō smiled, "while he has died. We will not allow his world to end. Our Dream must continue. Our Peace shall exist for eternity."

When They saw a small light which gradually grew bigger, Their smile widened.

"Once more, let Us return. To the Cycle of Samsara."

* * *

The Six of One opened His Eyes.

"...We must admit, this is unexpected," the Six stated as He looked around him.

He had returned to the Desire Realm, yes. And yet, there was one difference compared to His previous advent.

He possessed a body. A body which was completely the same as His first mortal body. The body of the Sage.

"How... interesting," the moment He stated that word, He recalled how Naruto would react.

_"How... amusing."_

Yes, that was how the Son of Man would react. It seemed that He and the Chosen was indeed similar.

Then the Sage scanned His surroundings. Everywhere around Him were filled with trees.

However, He recognized where He was. Naruto's memory, Nawaki's memory, Madara's memory, all recognized this place.

"The village built by Uchiwa and Vajra..."

The village built by the descendants of His sons.

His eldest who had always favored the symbol of fan, the symbol of Uchiwa.

His youngest who had chosen the Vajra, the thunderbolt as his mark.

"Konohagakure..."

He began to walk towards the village.

* * *

He saw the massive chakra barrier hiding Konohagakure and walked into it.

He had to admit, the descendants of His sons were quite bright for being able to design such protection.

However, against the White-eyed ones and Him, the barrier was useless.

Just as He was about to reach the walls, He sensed three mortals near Him. One of them is dying.

Curious, He walked towards the mortals.

* * *

Uzumaki Shio wanted to be a ninja.

As far as she could remember, she had been ignored by everyone. No one wanted to speak with her, no one paid any attention to her. Except for one person, the Hokage.

The Hokage gave her everything she needed to survive. He taught her what she needed. He gave her home, clothes, foods, money.

He also gave her, a dream. She saw how everyone would bow and listened to the Hokage. She wanted that.

She wanted to be as great as him. She wanted to be respected, she wanted to be heard.

She wanted it so much and yet, she failed the genin exam. She failed to become a ninja for the third time. She believed then that her dream was over.

But then, her teacher, Mizuki told her that she still can become a ninja. She listened to her teacher's words. He said that she could become a genin if she stole the Scroll of Seals from the Hokage residence.

Mizuki is kind. He always helped her in the academy. He taught her many things.

She believed that he would not lie to her.

She did it. She didn't know how she managed to sneak past the Hokage but she did it.

After she took the scroll, she waited for Mizuki, her teacher to meet her and pass her.

He didn't.

Instead, she was found by her other teacher, Iruka.

Iruka. He was kind, like the Hokage and Mizuki. But, He was strict, he always told her to study harder.

How could she do that when she did not even know where to start?

At least he cared about her enough to be angry at her.

When Iruka told her that she was chased by shinobi from the village for stealing the scroll, she didn't want to believe it.

Because that meant Mizuki lied to her. One of the few people who she thought cared about her lied.

Mizuki then appeared, stabbing Iruka from the back.

"Run... Shio..." was all Iruka could say before he fell to the ground.

Disbelief and fear filled her eyes as she stared at the sight of Mizuki standing over Iruka's fallen body.

She tried to move her limbs but failed.

She was scared.

_'Someone... please... anyone...'_

When Mizuki leaped towards her, she screamed.

* * *

_'Finally!'_ Mizuki thought as he moved to kill the demon.

After a year filled with suffering of being unable to kill the demon, even though he saw it everyday, he finally had the chance to vanquish it.

He pretended to help it, he pretended to be kind, just for this day!

When he felt his kunai stabbing through a flesh, he shouted in triumph.

"...and what, exactly are you doing, mortal?"

He froze.

That was a man's voice.

Then the whole forest was washed with killing intent.

* * *

Shio opened her eyes which had been closed when she saw Mizuki about to stab her.

She saw the back of a man who stood at the same height as Mizuki is. The man had grey hair that shaped two 'horns' on his head.

She could not see his face nor his eyes.

Hearing the sound of his voice, she knew that he was younger than Mizuki. Perhaps about seventeen years old.

Suddenly, she found it difficult to breathe as the man seemed to radiate a cold presence.

"...did you not hear Us, trash? What do you think you are doing?"

* * *

Seeing the man frozen in fear, Rikudō decided to turn towards the girl He had saved.

The Eyes of God met the dark blue eyes.

A girl with blue, almost violet eyes and long red hair. _'...an Uzumaki...'_ He knew that instinctively.

Now that He thought about it, the man who tried to kill the Uzumaki looked similar to the man Naruto had met long ago.

What was the mortal name? Mizuki, was it?

Then He heard a shout and He turned towards the source.

The mortal in front of Him jumped towards Him, his fist raised.

"...learn your place, mortal."

He opened His palm and swung His hand upwards.

The silver haired fool was instantly sent flying to the sky. Higher and higher.

He clicked His fingers and the mortal exploded.

Holding back a sigh of disappointment at the mortal's weakness, He turned towards the girl.

"Are you unharmed?"

* * *

The moment Shio saw the man's eyes, she was mesmerized.

Divine, was all she could think to describe it.

When the man asked her a question, she blinked.

"...I'm sorry, I can't hear you..."

The man gave an amused smile and asked again.

"Are you unharmed?"

Uzumaki Shio believed that she had met her Guardian Angel.

* * *

**Don't expect this to be updated as often as Game of the Gods. I plan to finish it first before continuing this.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer : I do not own Naruto**

**Summary: Yet again, the Chosen of Samsara died. Once more, They were forced to return to the world of living. Their Master, Their friend has died and yet the Curse remains. This time, the Sage was prepared, to fight once more for Their world of Peace and Order. However, Heaven seemed to have other plans. Rikudō x Female Naruto.**

**This chapter has yet to be Beta'd.**

**Still an idea, I might revise it later.**

**Review Responses:**

**ElementKitsune: Noted, though I blame Shio not seeing clearly because it was dark, all she knew is that Iruka was stabbed rom behind.**

**Phalanax213: As a cameo perhaps? I'm still unsure.**

**Jostanos: Thanks!**

**god of all: Would be difficult as I am also writing Game.**

**JyubeiKisanagi: The spin-off happened far after Game of the Gods ended. After Naruto died, to be exact. As for exact time, I won't tell.**

**...hmm, still don't know how to describe Shio well, I will try to put it next chapter. As for Game Sasuke, I think I have an idea...**

**The variables in the Game will increase. Later you'll see.**

**TetriusArmada: Rikud****ō** has always been the combined form of 6 Desire Realms. This is similar to what Rin did, except that the God who summoned Rikud**ō** is not Rin. Well, not exactly the same Rin in Game that is... She has grown up.

**I will drop hints about Naruto's death, though I may put it in a sequel or a side story instead.**

**8Swords: Word limit. Thanks.**

**dregus: Well, he needs his time to shine. ...the reason why I didn't put him in a body in Game and Samsara is that the others will become necessary with him around.**

**Kitsune Mask: Guardian Angel and mentor. Though that will change.**

**Interesting: I doubt anyone expect Mizuki to last long against Rikud****ō...**

******DrakenSword0z: I'll try, thanks.**

******DruidFWY: Thanks, you'll see. As for how I'm bringing them to Samsara. I am still unsure but I know that it will be after Game.**

******Mostly the same as canon.**

* * *

**Samsara: The Sage's Journey**

**Chapter 2 Heavenly Emperor**

Does this world possess anything of interest?

As far as He could sense, no.

No presence in this world matched Namikaze Naruto. None of them even came close to Uchiha Madara.

However, this Uzumaki girl is a surprise. Where did she came from?

...Naruto's descendant? No, that would be strange. The mortal he had killed looked exactly the same as he was in the other world.

No, perhaps He should change the question.

Where is He? He did not know.

What brought Him here? The answer was obvious.

Datara. That little blacksmith... She had changed as she matured. What happened to her after Naruto's death?

...whatever the reason Datara may posses, He suppose He should enjoy His time in this place.

"Umm, excuse me," He heard a voice calling Him and He returned His attention to the Uzumaki.

"What is your name?" she asked,

Name? ...Rikudō. However, He knew that using His true name would draw unwanted attention.

He would prefer not to be annoyed by weaklings.

Therefore, He need a false name, a fake identity.

What name should he use?

Kishin, the Avatar of God? Kannon, the Goddess of Mercy? Gongen, the amalgamation of Buddha and Shinto? Sakra, the Lord of Deva, King of Heaven, God of Thunder? Or Sakra's other name, Indra?

No, none of them are suitable.

There was a name that suited him. His granddaughter, the first Chosen had called Him by that name.

Written as 'Heavenly Sovereign'. Read as Tennō.

"Our name, is Tennō."

* * *

Hearing the strange way he spoke, Shio blinked.

The Angel, Tennō seemed to spoke archaically. Even the Hokage didn't speak like that and he's the oldest person she knew.

"I'm Shio. Uzumaki Shio..." she nervously waited for his reaction.

She didn't know why but every time she told her name to someone they would ignore her or outright glare at her.

...will he do the same?

"...Uzumaki... Shio..." the Angel repeated the name, as if trying it out. "How interesting. I suppose the name came from Shio Ramen, is it?"

Shio blushed but nodded. She wondered if her parents were ramen addict. She had no problem with the salt ramen but hearing her own name being shouted by Teuchi and Ayame at Ichiraku made her embarrassed.

"Uzumaki-san," Shio's head snapped upwards hearing her name being called.

* * *

The Uzumaki, Shio was it not? Seemed to fidget as He asked her about her name.

"Uzumaki-san," how interesting, she is nervous. "May We ask where are We?"

Shio nodded, "we are in a forest right outside Konoha."

He supposed that confirmed His location. "And why are you out here, Uzumaki-san? Especially with the two mortals."

He indicated the only remaining mortal, if He recalled correctly, the mortal was Naruto's teacher at the shinobi academy.

"Ah! Iruka-sensei!" she seemed to have forgotten that the man was here.

Truly, this girl is quite amusing.

* * *

How could she forgot her sensei like that?

She was too focused with the Angel, Tennō-san. In her defense, this man did saved her and had an ethereal air around him.

"Is he alright?" she asked as Tennō-san seemed to scan Iruka-sensei with his eyes.

"...the man is dying," Tennō-san declared coldly.

She flinched as if she was struck. Iruka-sensei? Dying? One of the few person who cared about her?

"We have to get him to the hospital!" she shouted, panicking.

To her surprise, the Angel chuckled.

* * *

"What is he to you, little Uzumaki?" He asked the girl.

Shio did not even pause to answer, "he is like father to me! Please! We have to save him!"

...a father, eh? That meant she was alone too in this world. Just like Uzumaki Naruto from the other world.

"If I can save him, what would you be willing to do?" He asked, curious about her answer.

"...anything!"

He could not help Himself, Rikudō began to laugh.

* * *

When Tennō-san started laughing she was angry.

Iruka-sensei's life is in danger and he is acting like that!

Just as she was about to yell, he raised his hand.

"Our apologies, We recalled someone with similar attitude to you, little Uzumaki."

Huh?

"Worry not, We will save him. Of course, as you have stated, you will do 'anything' in return, yes?"

Huh? What?

Tennō-san brought his palm towards Iruka-sensei. Then the palm began to glow green and Iruka-sensei's wounds disappeared.

"That should be enough, now, little Uzumaki. Shall We discuss your payment?"

Eh?

* * *

Seeing the Uzumaki's confused face made Him chuckle.

At first, He thought that she was familiar.

In truth, she was quite similar to His granddaughter and His Salvation.

How interesting. And if His speculation is correct, she was Naruto's counterpart. A hypothesis that was supported by the presence of Kurama He could sense inside her.

Indeed, many would come after her, either for the Kurama, or for her lineage.

His stay in this world would not be quite boring as He had expected.

Rikudō allowed Himself to smile.

"You shall be Our apprentice, little Uzumaki. That is your payment."

Seeing the girl confusion grew, He chuckled once more.

* * *

Out of anything she had expected, this was not one of them.

She was tricked by Mizuki-sensei and was found by Iruka-sensei.

Then Iruka-sensei was attacked by Mizuki-sensei and was left near death.

When Mizuki-sensei tried to attack her, she thought she would die but instead an Angel saved her.

The Angel introduced himself and began talking to her. Then he informed her that Iruka-sensei was dying.

Panicked, she tried to convince him to bring sensei to the hospital. Instead the Angel saved Iruka-sensei and asked for a payment.

The payment, she'll become his apprentice.

"...huh?" she titled her head to the side, her head filled with surprise, confusion and a small bit of hope.

* * *

Rikudō's chuckle ceased as He sensed several presence approaching Him and the girl.

"Little Uzumaki, stay behind Us," He moved between the approaching intruders and Shio.

"Why?" Shio asked Him.

"Several mortals are approaching. They may be hostiles."

* * *

Sarutobi Hiruzen was not having a good day.

First he found out that Shio, who he considered as his surrogate granddaughter stole the Scroll of Seals.

Then, when he checked through his crystal ball, Mizuki, a teacher of the academy was seen attacking Iruka and Shio.

Suddenly, his crystal ball became pitch black.

Worried for his 'granddaughter', he, and several shinobi he trusted moved towards the location where the three were last sighted.

As he grew near to it, he sensed it.

An overwhelming chakra, far above anyone he had ever seen. If he had to compare it with something, it could be compared to Kyūbi's chakra.

Only the chakra was far more serene and quiet.

The problem is... this chakra was located right beside Shio.

When he reached the place, he saw a stranger in front of his granddaughter.

Without waiting, he immediately attacked the stranger.

* * *

"...We are amused..." Rikudō commented as He blocked the staff the mortal had swung.

Sarutobi Hiruzen was it? Yet another mortal worthy of His respect.

Sarutobi Hiruzen, Namikaze Minato, Jiraiya all were mortals without any inherited abilities. And yet, all managed to rose to the rank of strongest.

While still could not be compared to His strongest descendants, Senju Hashirama, Uchiha Madara, and Namikaze Naruto, they could be considered as the second strongest.

Sarutobi Hiruzen, a man who inherited his title, the 'God of Shinobi'.

"We are interested in your strength, God of Shinobi," He declared as He pushed the Professor away from Him using His repulsive force.

"Amuse Us," Flame covered His right hand and He threw it towards Sarutobi.

"_**Doton: Doryūheki**_!" (_**Earth Style: Earth Wall**_) a wall made of earth rose in front of Sarutobi, blocking the fire. The fire exploded, forming a flame pillar that reached the sky.

"Your technique is quite fast. For a mortal," Rikudō pointed to the sky. With the fire pillar he had made, the preparation for his technique was complete.

"..._**Uchiwa: Kirin**_," this technique was used by Naruto's friend, Sasuke of Uchiwa. It was quite an impressive move, able to be done only by Lightning element master.

He and Naruto could replicate the technique perfectly after hearing the Uchiha's explanation.

The Chinese Unicorn flew from the sky, rushing towards Sarutobi.

"Grandpa!" Shio shouted, seeing the thunder striking the place where her surrogate-grandfather stood.

"Do not worry, little Uzumaki. He will not die by a simple attack such as that."

"_**Doton: Shinjū Zanshu no Jutsu**_!" (**_Earth Release: Double Suicide Decapitation Technique_**) Rikudō felt Himself being dragged to the ground.

"Hmm?" He wonder what the man would do next. Then from the corner of His Eyes, He saw Shio being grabbed by a shinobi. "...Hatake Kakashi..." He muttered.

The Hatake disappeared, most likely escorting Shio to a safe area.

That would not do, the girl is His apprentice.

"_**Katon: Gōka Messhitsu**_!" (_**Fire Release: Great Fire Destruction**_) as a stream of flame neared His location, He recalled one other shinobi who fought in similar way as this.

"...Sarutobi Sasuke..." a shinobi without clan who had managed to fought Uchiha Madara when the Uchiwa was young.

"We wonder whether you have surpassed him or not..." He made up His mind and decided to move as Madara did years ago.

He burst out of the ground and drew a breath.

"_**Katon: Gōka Mekkyaku**_!" (_**Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation**_) the barrage of fireball clashed with the stream of fire, causing a massive explosion which shook the trees around them.

Rikudō watched Sarutobi who went through a series of handseals. Which reminded Him, if He recalled correctly, after clashing the fire techniques, Madara then...

He followed Sarutobi's series of seal, pretending as if He was using the Sharingan.

In battle between Sarutobi Sasuke and Uchiha Madara, Madara had won. How about this Sarutobi? Is he stronger than his ancestor?

"_**Shuriken Kage Bunshin no Jutsu**_!" barrages of shuriken clashed with each other between Him and Sarutobi.

He disappeared and reappeared beside Sarutobi.

When Sarutobi moved to attack Him with his staff, a gunbai uchiwa formed in Rikudō's hand. He may not possess Madara's fan, however, with Shuradō he was able to replicate it perfectly.

"_**Uchiha Gaeshi**_!" Hiruzen was blown back by the force of his own attack.

The fan disappeared and Rikudō moved towards Hiruzen. A sickle formed in his hand.

"It is over," the battle would end the same way Madara defeated Sarutobi Sasuke, that was rather disappointing.

When He struck Sarutobi with the back of His back of His sickle, Sarutobi exploded.

Rikudō let out a chuckle, "Clone explosion... that was quite a surprise."

Then He sensed Sarutobi behind Him, prepared to swing his adamantine staff. Rikudō saw no reason to play as 'Madara' anymore and started to fight seriously.

"Shakujō," He declared and a monk staff with six rings appeared in his hand. "_**Khakkhara: Ningendō**_," (_**Monk Staff: Human Realm**_), a ring glowed.

He flicked the monk staff and Sarutobi's adamantine staff was sent flying. Then He lightly tapped Sarutobi's chest with the staff.

A weak tap is all He need. His Shakujō was made to channel all Six Realms He possessed. By using the Human Ring, He was able to force a soul out of their physical body.

However, He was not interested in killing Sarutobi, which was why, a light tap which would shook Sarutobi's soul, sending him to unconsciousness was enough.

"That is the end of it. Not bad, for a mortal."

* * *

When Shio saw her grandfather knocked unconscious, she broke free of the jōnin's grasp and went to the Hokage.

"Stop!" she shouted at Tennō.

"...We do not plan to kill him, little Uzumaki. As you can see, the mortal attacked Us first."

Well... that's true...

"You won't hurt him?" Shio asked the Angel. Seeing him beating the Hokage like that, instead of causing Shio to distrust him, instead impressed Shio more, making her believe that he is not a normal human.

...there's also the fact that he called other people mortal.

"We promise you, We simply tested his prowess," Tennō stated calmly.

Then the jōnin appeared, surrounding her and the Hokage. One of them began healing her 'grandfather' while the others kept an eye on Tennō.

* * *

Tennō watched with amused Eyes as they tried to intimidate Him.

Though He could see their confidence breaking as they saw Him defeating the Hokage.

"...indeed," He muttered. "This world could be interesting..."

Especially if He can convince the girl to follow Him.

Yes, it should be quite interesting.

* * *

When Sarutobi Hiruzen woke up, he saw his surrogate granddaughter and his trusted jōnin around him.

"What happened?" he asked one of them.

"You lost. While you were quite strong for a mortal. You are still too weak," the Hokage heard a voice answering from the side.

He turned and scanned his opponent.

He was a man with grey hair, some of which formed a horn-like shape on his head. The man wore a monk clothes, a clothes which was not suitable to fight in.

Though, that did explained the man's monk staff. The man seemed to be about eighteen.

And his eyes...

Sarutobi froze.

He would recognize that eyes anywhere.

Except for the addition of nine Sharingan-like tomoe, that Eyes is without a doubt Rikudō Sennin's.

"Greetings, Hokage. May We speak with you in private?"

He nodded, he was curious about this man and his intention towards Konohagakure.

* * *

As the two walked a distance away from the shinobi, Rikudō chuckled.

"No need to be so tense, Sarutobi."

"Who are you?" Sarutobi Hiruzen asked, suspicion clearly written on his face.

"We suppose you have guessed already. We are Rikudō. You know Us as Rikudō Sennin."

"Impossible! Even if Rikudō Sennin truly existed, he lived thousand years ago. There is no way he is still alive!"

"...truly? Do you claim to know what Our Eyes gave Us?" it would be better to make Sarutobi believes that His Eyes gave Him immortality.

That would increase his fear of His strength, and make him think twice before opposing Him.

"...do you have a proof?" Sarutobi asked.

"Is Our strength and Our Eyes not proof enough? Well then, We will tell you a tale."

He told the Hokage the tale of a Fallen God and the mortal who rose to fight It.

* * *

He ended His tale with one last statement.

"The proof of Our existence, lies in Naka Shrine owned by the Uchiwa. Only those with Our Eyes, or theirs may read the stone tablet."

Sarutobi absorbed the tale, still trying to warp his head over the idea that the first God of Shinobi still walks on the earth.

"Then what made you reveal yourself? Why now?"

Rikudō motioned His hand towards Shio who watched them with nervous eyes far away, with the other shinobi.

"Her, We are interested in her. We would like to take her as our apprentice."

"...she is my granddaughter," Sarutobi lied.

Rikudō knew that Sarutobi lied, He played along, "is that so? However that matters not. If she is truly your granddaughter, where were you when that mortal tried to harm her?"

Sarutobi could not defend himself against that.

"...very well, let it not be said that We are without mercy. We will stay in your village for a while. We will train her and she will work as one of your shinobi."

Sarutobi thought for a moment.

On one hand, he was handing this stranger the custody over Shio. Though, he would still be in Konoha, allowing the Third to keep an eye on him.

On the other hand, if the stranger truly is Rikudō Sennin, Shio would receive the best teacher, Konoha would also benefit from his presence.

"Very well... However, we need to make a fake identity for you."

"Indeed, We suppose it would not do to cause an alarm. You may call Us Tennō, the Emperor of Heaven."

* * *

**...did I overstate Rikudō's God complex?**

**Anyway, next chapter is Shio's past. As I said, I don't know when I can post it. I know that I will focus on Game for now, though.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer : I do not own Naruto**

**Summary: Yet again, the Chosen of Samsara died. Once more, They were forced to return to the world of living. Their Master, Their friend has died and yet the Curse remains. This time, the Sage was prepared, to fight once more for Their world of Peace and Order. However, Heaven seemed to have other plans. Rikudō x Female Naruto.**

**This chapter has yet to be Beta'd.**

**Still an idea, I might revise it later.**

**Review Responses:**

**Jostanos: NOOOO! That means I have (Once again!) become rusty. Training! Seishun!**

**dregus: Indeed, ...I find it ironic when you said 'god' read the note below.**

**Knight of elves: Thanks, I'm trying to keep it balanced (as there are spoilers for Game in Journey).**

**imsabbel: Either narm or ham, both are what I'm targeting.**

**DrakenSword0z: Thanks, for the compliment and cookie.**

**ElementKitsune: Well, he is 'a' God of Shinobi, still no match for the original, though.**

**Kitsune Mask: Like in Game, yet another world. About Shio being Naruto's descendant, that is just a guess in Rikudō's part. Always remember that in my story, narration lie, because they are from a character's POV.**

**Reishin Amara: I blame insanity, and my obsession with religions and mythologies.**

**TertiusArmada: Yeah, Sarutobi is strong but against Rikudō... Rin... will appear this chapter. ...well, the Phase-3 of her will (See explanation at the end of chapter).**

**KHARAKI TAKAN: Hmm... Shio's difference with Naruto still haven't been shown yet but this chapter will show their difference in motivation. Uzumaki Naruto's (canon) motivation is so that he could be respected (and later, to protect his precious people), Shio is more... obsessed than him about respect.**

**DruidFWY: The monk staff, with Six Realms Rings, is begging to be used. To be fair for other authors, the Uchiha fan is actually seen in manga being used in fight.**

**...well, Archerko Rin is Phase-2 Rin. The one who appear here is Phase-3 Rin. See explanation at the end of this chapter.**

**GoldenDragon14: ...yeah, that was the plan. I only made prologue as teaser but... events happened and in the end, I continued it. Yeah, no 'shinobi'... hence, the note below.**

**8Swords: Hmm... I still say that I'm bad with fight scene though. Not as good as other authors I've seen...**

**Toaneo07 ver2.0: Thanks!**

* * *

**Warning for Readers as Journey is sequel of sequels, there will be some parts that might seem 'doesn't make sense' until it is explained in later chapter.**

**Also, Journey happened after Phase-2 of the story. Let me explain, Samsara series is a series that I made with 3 Phase in mind.**

**Phase-1: ****Prologue (AKA Peace and Order), and introduction to mythical world (Game of the Gods, especially Rin and Zaō-Gongen's presence in it.), only has Shinto and Buddhism elements for now. ...maybe later Cthulhu mythos but I don't know, maybe I'll replace them with easier to understand mythology.**

**Phase-2: Naruto's adventure with mythical world, I haven't reached this yet. Here, more religions and mythologies will appear notable ones include: Hinduism, Judaism (Especially Angels and Devils), Greek Olympians, Zoroastrianism and other myths.**

**Phase-3: After Naruto's adventure. The only one I plan in this phase is this story, Journey. Which actually is supposed to tie up any loose ends and giving more explanation about the mythologies. ...well, with Journey being a spin-off now, this plan is shot down. I'll just improvise, and try to keep the spoiler minimal.**

**From the middle of Phase-2 and Phase-3, don't be surprised when I introduce mythological characters Ex: next chapter, I plan on bringing three characters from different mythologies, here are the clue:**

**1. Son of the Sun, from Mahabharata.**

**2. Goddess of Hunt and Moon, Olympian.**

**3. The Heavenly Scribe, the Angel Closest to God, former human who have never known death.**

**Don't worry if you are unfamiliar with mythologies. I will provide explanation both in story and as footnote at the end of the story. You can PM me or if you are a guest, leave a review here with your question. I will answer your question and do my best to help you.**

**My apologies if any elements of Samsara offends you. I am someone who is very interested in religions and mythologies, that is why any story I made (even those that is not published in ), always have mythical elements in them.**

* * *

**Samsara: The Sage's Journey**

**Chapter 3 Settling In**

When she saw Tennō-san returning with her grandfather, she let out a sigh of relief.

She was afraid that they would fight again.

"Shio-kun, are you alright?" her grandfather asked.

She nodded, "Tennō-san saved me..."

Shio saw her grandfather wince while Tennō-san gave another amused chuckle.

...he seemed to do that out of habit.

"Think nothing of it, little Uzumaki. It would be a waste for Us to lose an interesting mortal such as you."

Shio blinked.

No, not only her, the many jōnin around her also seemed to be surprised hearing the man's words.

"Tennō-san, your way of speaking is strange," she told him.

* * *

Rikudō raised an eyebrow hearing that.

His speech pattern is strange? He did not recall Naruto ever stating such thing.

Now that He thought about it, the other Mortal God's speech pattern is also peculiar.

He had thought that the behaviors of the mortals of this age seemed to be too friendly, too trusting.

Perhaps the He and Namikaze Naruto were the strange ones?

He supposed it did not matter.

"Is there a problem with it, little Uzumaki?" He asked the girl.

The girl shook her head frantically.

"No, I thought it was cool. It's like you are a prince or something."

Hearing that, Rikudō could not help but laugh.

He? A prince?

The original owner of His body was but a mere farmer. A lowly peasant.

In fact, the reason why His other self was not killed by the bandits, was because He worked at the farm that fateful day.

"We are not a prince, little Uzumaki. However, We thank you for the praise."

The Uzumaki smiled, her eyes seemed to lit up brightly.

Why? He met her eyes and He easily identified the emotions inside her with His own Eyes.

She was happy, happy because of His words.

How... curious.

* * *

That was the first time someone thanked her.

It felt nice. She liked the feeling.

Then she felt a hand on her head, she looked towards the owner of the hand and saw Tennō-san, smiling with amusement.

"Tennō-san?" her voice came out a bit squeaky.

Tennō-san simply patted her head. Warm feelings filled her body and her cheeks reddened.

"Tennō-dono, perhaps you should stop before Shio-kun fainted," her grandfather asked, grinning towards her.

* * *

The Uzumaki pouted as he lifted his hand.

"Tennō-dono, would you like to continue our conversation in my office?"

"...very well," He nodded. "However, We would like to escort little Uzumaki to her home first."

Sarutobi nodded.

* * *

The journey back home felt like a blur to Shio.

Tennō-san carried her on his arms all the way and he placed her on her bed.

Even after the mysterious Angel left, she could not get his image out of her head.

She guessed this is how the other girls in her academy felt when they saw Uchiha Sasuke.

A crush, right?

...she doesn't want to be a fangirl though.

What would Iruka-sensei say?

"...Iruka-sensei..." she muttered, the memories of when she saw him falling in front of her appeared in her mind.

She felt guilty for paying more attention to Tennō-san instead of worrying about him.

But Tennō-san did save him...

"Who is he?" she asked herself.

He appeared out of nowhere and saved her. He offered to help Iruka and asked her to be his apprentice in return.

Her? He actually asked her to be his apprentice?

She couldn't recall someone showing that much interest in her.

She was close to Iruka-sensei, she was close to grandpa Hokage. She thought of them as a caring older brother and a kind grandfather.

...but they had to keep up appearances...

If Iruka-sensei is too friendly with her, he could be fired for showing favoritism. He always took care of her whenever he could, he risked his life for her. That's more than what anyone have done for her.

The Hokage is always busy, the few times he visited her, he would always tell her about how she should remain strong. About how one day the village will accept her.

Honestly, she doesn't care about the village. She wanted to be respected, she wanted people to listen to her. But they don't have to be Konoha.

Seeing Tennō-san's amused and interested eyes when he looked at her was enough.

She want more, more people to pay attention to her.

Then she recalled how even the Hokage showed respect to Tennō-san.

A new desire flared inside her.

"...I want everyone to respect me. ...even the Kage..."

* * *

Rikudō's mind worked automatically as He answered Sarutobi's questions of His new false identity.

First name? Tennō.

Last name? Unknown, an orphan.

Previous affiliation? Takigakure, with Naruto's memory, it would be simple for Him to provide answers to curious minds.

Age? 18, it seemed that He had returned to the age where His body stopped growing. The time when He took over His host. Eighteen years old should be sufficient for his identity.

Rank? ...jōnin, however, as Takigakure does not possess a jōnin shinobi at this time, the Hokage changed His rank into chūnin.

Bloodline? He chuckled in amusement as the Hokage wrote 'unknown' on the paper. He had decided to use the same method Naruto used to hid his Eyes. A pair of blue contact lens covered the Eyes of God He possessed.

He answered several more questions until finally Sarutobi declared that He was free to leave.

Sarutobi gave Him a key and informed Him that He would live in the same apartment as little Uzumaki. He was also told that He would join her in her first team meeting tomorrow.

That would be interesting.

Would her team be similar to Namikaze Naruto's? Or would it be similar to the other Naruto?

The other Naruto, the mortal Namikaze Naruto met in another world. The child's team is riddled with disorder.

A hate-filled, vengeful Uchiwa, a weak, obsessed Haruno, in addition, a broken scarecrow as a teacher.

He was surprised they managed to pass the scarecrow's test.

Rikudō ceased His movements as He realized that He had reached His new lodgings.

The room beside little Uzumaki's.

He opened the door and sat cross-legged on the floor. He closed His Eyes and began to focus His mind.

"Meditating? Saying prayers to the Diamond Buddha?" a girl's voice asked Him.

Most people who heard the voice would assume that the speaker was a teenage girl, perhaps about thirteen years old.

He knew better.

He had expected her to appear in front of Him the moment He was alone. He knew that she had something to do with His presence in this world. If she is not the cause, then she should at least know who sent Him here.

He had entertained the thought of asking her the truth but He knew better.

She and Rikudō would never be civil, not to each other.

"Explain your presence here, Blacksmith."

The Blacksmith God's Avatar of Power, ripple-patterned circle with nine tomoe formed on the wall in front of Him.

The mark glowed red and a girl stepped out of the Avatar.

A white haired 'girl' with lone visible Eye.

"How many years has it been?" the 'girl' asked Him, her voice held none of the innocence she possessed years ago.

Back when Namikaze Naruto was still alive. Gone were the little girl who happily played with dogs, gone were the little girl who innocently asked Naruto questions whenever she was confused.

What left, is nothing more than a wraith bound to _his_ memory. A girl who refused to believe that her 'big brother' is gone.

He watched her with cold Eyes, noting that her posture did not indicate that she wished for a confrontation.

"Didn't you hear Us, slave? We asked you, how many years has it been?" the girl asked, her voice growing colder.

"...how many years since what, exactly?" He questioned her, raising an eyebrow.

Of course He knew what she meant, He simply wished to hear the answer right out of her mouth.

"Don't try to act a fool," the Degraded Blacksmith's lone Eye began to glow and a tense silence passed between them.

Then the Goddess, Rin opened her mouth, "how many years has it been since you left mortal God to die?"

* * *

**Shorter than I thought, but for the sake of drama, I'll cut it here. What do you think about the 'grown-up' Rin. Or as I would call her, Phase-3 Rin. Phase-1 Rin is the child in Game, Phase-2 Rin is grown-up Rin when Naruto is still alive. Phase-3 is after Naruto's death.**

**Just in case there are those who did not read the note above:**

**Warning for Readers as Journey is sequel of sequels, there will be some parts that might seem 'doesn't make sense' until it is explained in later chapter.**

**Also, Journey happened after Phase-2 of the story. Let me explain, Samsara series is a series that I made with 3 Phase in mind.**

**Phase-1: ****Prologue (AKA Peace and Order), and introduction to mythical world (Game of the Gods, especially Rin and Zaō-Gongen's presence in it.), only has Shinto and Buddhism elements for now. ...maybe later Cthulhu mythos but I don't know, maybe I'll replace them with easier to understand mythology.**

**Phase-2: Naruto's adventure with mythical world, I haven't reached this yet. Here, more religions and mythologies will appear notable ones include: Hinduism, Judaism (Especially Angels and Devils), Greek Olympians, Zoroastrianism and other myths.**

**Phase-3: After Naruto's adventure. The only one I plan in this phase is this story, Journey. Which actually is supposed to tie up any loose ends and giving more explanation about the mythologies. ...well, with Journey being a spin-off now, this plan is shot down. I'll just improvise, and try to keep the spoiler minimal.**

**From the middle of Phase-2 and Phase-3, don't be surprised when I introduce mythological characters Ex: next chapter, I plan on bringing three characters from different mythologies, here are the clue:**

**1. Son of the Sun, from Mahabharata.**

**2. Goddess of Hunt and Moon, Olympian.**

**3. The Heavenly Scribe, the Angel Closest to God, former human who have never known death.**

**Don't worry if you are unfamiliar with mythologies. I will provide explanation both in story and as footnote at the end of the story. You can PM me or if you are a guest, leave a review here with your question. I will answer your question and do my best to help you.**

**My apologies if any elements of Samsara offends you. I am someone who is very interested in religions and mythologies, that is why any story I made (even those that is not published in ), always have mythical elements in them.**

**I have given a warning, if there is any flame about how a reader is angry because he/she didn't expect religious and mythical elements in this story, I WILL ignore them. **

**Criticism of my writing skill is acceptable but religion and myths are my passion, and if you criticize me for incorporating it in my story, ...you are welcome to write your own story.**


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